Under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, local governments must keep an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan to stay eligible for certain pre- and post-disaster grants from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Review your plan every year
Jurisdictions should review their adopted plans annually to make sure they still reflect current needs and account for any growth or population change that could raise or lower risk from a particular hazard.
No one can predict exactly where the next tornado or flash flood will hit or how bad it will be, and the human and financial costs can be serious. Mitigation planning helps a community understand its risks and act ahead of time to lessen the impact when disaster does strike.
Updates under way
CMPDD is currently helping Richland, Brandon, Florence, Flora, Clinton, Ridgeland, Flowood, Warren County, Rankin County and Copiah County with five-year plan updates. Our planners will reach out to governments whose plans expire soon, and are available to help any local government with its annual review. Contact CMPDD through cmpdd.org.
This story first appeared in the October 2026 issue of Central Update, CMPDD’s quarterly newsletter. Find this issue and past editions on our Publications page.